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And So It Begins…

Today as they say, is a brand new day. It’s Wednesday. It’s bloody hot! I am not at work, and I’m not on holiday. This is day 1 of my 2017 life of working less and writing more.

Given there are a few people who’ve threatened to arrive at my house at the end of a day wanting to check the word count on my manuscript (you know who you are), I’d like to take this opportunity to reassure the world that I’ve been busy 🙂

5.05am: Awake & plotting Chapter 14 of Water Under The Bridge in bed

6am: Actually sit down and edit through chapters 12 and 13 to find out where I’d got to.

6.35am: Have enough of that, above

6.45am: Go back to bed

7.30am: Until 2 children knock on my door because they’ve been given the job of taking down the Christmas tree today… and they can’t unwind the lights, the tree is too tall unless they stand on a chair. Is it okay if they stand on the chairs?

7.31am: Get up and unwind the lights before the kids set fire to the house and/or break a bone/break my chairs

7.35am: Cup of tea and check Facebook & catch-up with what’s happening in the cricket

9.25am: Help grizzling children pack up the last of the Christmas tree

9.35am: Go shopping for groceries.

10.35am: Unpack groceries while checking what’s happening in the cricket.

11.35am: Test-run the new milkshake maker. Prepare strawberry milkshakes for the kids. Verdict: they are more like thick-shakes and the kids don’t need lunch now, thanks very much, Mum.

11.45am: Make muesli bars. (Sidebar: I used to make these all the time but I don’t think I’ve made them in this new house. That’s at least 2.5 years since last time. Verdict: they work!)

12.30pm: Lunch, while watching cricket

1pm: Clean the house. Properly clean the house, including baths & showers & dusting & mopping. (A downside to my new working less hours life: it’s goodbye to the luxury of my treasured once-a-month lady who came and cleaned for me)

2.30pm: To the beach! (after all that cleaning I was bursting to get into the water…)

3.30pm: Home. Make the kids a snack (because we forgot all about lunch, remember?)

4pm: Cup of tea. Facebook. Write a blog post about my day!

4.22pm: Edit said post.

4.33pm: Battle for 10 minutes with trying to set tabs in WordPress, and giving up

4.44pm: Hit publish on said Blog Post!

4.45pm: When does the Big Bash start? Oh… look, it starts right now. Turn on the cricket!

Sounds typical of my writing days at the moment. Yesterday, I actually asked a writer friend to form an ‘accountability partnership’ with me, and she agreed. We’re both sick of faffing, and are now going to hold each other accountable! I hope you (and I) have better luck tomorrow! 🙂

It’s okay. I’m resigned to school holidays as not being easy to write, but if February hits and I’m not sitting my butt down, then there will be trouble!
Good luck & great idea about the partnership thing.

I might take you up on that. I’m going to set myself a goal of 1000 words a morning and a 1000 words an arvo, on this first draft. I’ve got 45k now, but my writing days seem to get soaked up at the moment. We’re off to see Springsteen in Perth on Wednesday night 🙂 xx

Trust me, it’s very easy for the writing time to be taken up with other things. All reasonable things – but other things. I do it by time rather than words – this year I have committed to bum in chair for one hour sessions, no breaks, and I’m counting the hours (there’s a spreadsheet). But the principle’s the same! Enjoy Springsteen!